10.5.7 extension hints at upcoming Nehalem-based Xserve

References to an "Xserve3,1" model identifier found in the 10.5.7 beta suggest …

Apple generally refreshes products like the Xserve and Mac Pro on a different schedule than its MacBooks and iMacs. Given the recent Mac Pro refresh, however, it would seem that it's time for a server update. A refresh may indeed be around the corner—AppleInsider has pointed to references in a file distributed as part of the 10.5.7 beta that hint at a new Xserve model with Xeon processors based on Intel's "Nehalem" architecture.

10.5.7 test builds have been floating around for a while, but it took eagle-eyed readers digging through the strings to find the Xserve references. The first big hint is the new model identifier. Current Xserve models are identified as "Xserve2,1," but the AppleTyMCEDriver extension includes a reference to "Xserve3,1." These references are usually good indicators that new models are coming.

Extensions included with the 10.5.7 beta also hint at components that may be used for the new Xserve. They, of course, suggest that the server will use a Xeon processor with the "Nehalem" architecture. An error message in the extension references Nehalem, the "MacPro4,1" identifier (the new Nehalem Mac Pros), and "Xserve3,1," all in the same sentence. Another extension file mentions the Marvell Yukon 2 Ethernet controller, which isn't used on the current Xserve; this provides us with yet another hint about the new hardware, although exactly when it will arrive is still anyone's guess.